The main themes in The Glass Menagerie are
memory and nostalgia, filial piety and duty, and gender roles
. Memory and nostalgia: The Glass Menagerie takes place in Tom’s memory. Tom, Laura, Amanda, and Jim each feel the pull of both painful memories and nostalgia.
How is memory a theme in The Glass Menagerie?
As is fitting in a play that is itself a memory of the past, in The Glass Menagerie the past haunts all the characters. Tom the character (the Tom who Tom is remembering as he “creates” the play) feels
trapped by memory
. He sees the past as a physical and emotional restraint that prevents him from living his life.
What does The Glass Menagerie symbolize?
The title of the play, and the play’s most prominent symbol, the glass menagerie represents
Laura’s fragility, otherworldliness, and tragic beauty
. The collection embodies Laura’s imaginative world, her haven from society.
What does Amanda symbolize in The Glass Menagerie?
Amanda is a good mother that let her flaws get the best of her. She was symbolized
through the father’s picture, the cotillion gown, and blue roses
. Amanda overall tries to make her past her present. Her life is full of insecurities and unless she forgets her past, she will never truly enjoy all that life has to offer.
Why does Jim Kiss Laura?
Why does Jim kiss Laura?
He is politely telling her good by
. Tom has paid him to do it. He is showing his contempt of Amanda and her silly ideas.
What does Blue Mountain symbolize in The Glass Menagerie?
The color blue in the name Blue Mountain further represents and
underscores Amanda’s sorrows
. Hence, one thing the mountain symbolizes is Amanda’s feeling of isolation as she longs for her past.
Why is The Glass Menagerie called a memory play?
According to Tom, The Glass Menagerie is a memory play—both its
style and its content are shaped and inspired by memory
. … Thus, the fact that the play exists at all is a testament to the power that memory can exert on people’s lives and consciousness.
What word does Amanda never allow to be used?
We don’t even notice she’s
crippled any
more. AMANDA: Don’t say crippled ! You know that I never allow that word to be used ! The last time the word is uttered, Amanda finally admits what she really thinks of her daughter’s condition.
What is the climax of The Glass Menagerie?
Climax. It turns out that
James is the Jim Laura used to know, and she becomes paralyzed by fear during their dinner and has to be helped to the sofa
. Tom confesses to Jim that he’s paid his dues in the Union of Merchant Seamen rather than the electricity bill that month, and he will be leaving soon.
Is Amanda Wingfield a good parent?
In fact, as annoying as all the nagging about keeping one’s elbows off the table is,
Amanda is actually a very loving mother
. Other than shooting the breeze about when she used to have gentlemen callers in her youth, Amanda doesn’t really think too much about herself.
Who is the most flawed character in Glass Menagerie?
The safest conclusion to draw is that
Amanda
is not evil but is deeply flawed. In fact, her flaws are centrally responsible for the tragedy, comedy, and theatrical flair of her character. Like her children, Amanda withdraws from reality into fantasy.
How is Amanda leading a life of illusion?
Amanda Wingfield lives in a world that fluctuates between illusion and reality. When it is convenient to her, she simply closes her eyes to the brutal, realistic world. She
uses various escape mechanisms
in order to endure her present position in life.
What two mementos from high schools does Laura show Jim?
What two mementos from high schools does Laura show Jim? What does he sign and why?
A yearbook and the program that was in
. He signed the program because Laura wanted him to.
Why does Laura give the unicorn to Jim?
Laura presents the broken unicorn to Jim
as a souvenir
. The figurine becomes a memory of Laura that Jim can bring with him when he leaves Laura and returns to his life, but it also signifies the normal woman that Laura will never become.
Why does Amanda blame Tom for the evening’s failure?
Why does Amanda blame Tom for the evening’s failures?
Because Jim is Tom’s “best friend” at the warehouse, she thought he would know that Jim would be engaged
. What do we learn about tom and Laura in the first scene? In the play, how does Amanda treat her children?
How is Laura physically handicapped?
Laura has a slight physical defect —
a limp
— but she has magnified this limp until it has affected her entire personality. Laura’s oversensitive nature makes her think that everyone notices her limp; it becomes for her a huge stumbling block to normal living. She cannot get over it and into the real world.
